DUNKIRK actor Fionn Whitehead has heaped praise on Harry Styles and called the hysteria around his role in the film “a bit silly”.

The 20-year-old actor spoke about singer Harry’s movie debut in a new interview, calling him “great” but suggesting the spotlight on him in particular is a little OTT.

“He's great, he's a good actor and a lovely guy,” he told Digital Spy.

"I think the hysteria – [perhaps] it should have been expected when you take a figure like that and give him a short back and sides and put him in a uniform.

"I think it's got a bit silly really. The meaning has got lost somewhere along the way and people have stopped realising there's an amazing cast – including Harry – but there's, you know, the creme de la creme of actors.

Whitehead said: “I was coming out onto the beach and there was 1300 extras dressed in battle gear, there was spitfires flying overhead, destroyers overhead, the beach was set-dressed, and there were explosions going off in the sand.

“It was just so real. It was the closest you can come to putting yourself in that situation, and the pure panic and terror.”

“It’s not ‘pretend there’s an explosion going off over here’ - it’s all going on,” Styles added. “I think that just means you get natural reactions to stuff.”